17 Feb 2026

To develop a thriving and accessible tourism sector, mobile tour operators should explore other tourism opportunities and diversify products from the Okavango Delta heritage site. The delta site attracts thousands of visitors annually from all over the world and due to its economic and outstanding value, it often overshadows many of the surrounding safari destinations in the country which offer equally interesting safari experiences.

However, members of the Botswana Guides Association (BOGA) who often operate in the delta; Moremi Game Reserve and Chobe National Park destinations, are encouraged to explore other tourism areas such as Makgadikgadi Pans and the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR), to reduce congestion in the delta.

Such members specialise in tailor-made, camping experiences, offering guided, immersive tours across the country’s national parks.

BOGA chairperson, Kenson Kgaga, challenged operators to diversify tourism beyond the delta, by exploring rural and cultural sites.

Some sites in the Tubu area he said remained untapped but noted that the association had made a request for more sites.

Kgaga said the association continuously received applications for new memberships, resulting in increased traffic in the delta.

He touted the Makgadikgadi Pans and the CKGR as being among the best places to visit and if well marketed, could attract a lot of attention internationally.

Makgadikgadi pan is one of the largest salt pan in the world and offers good wildlife viewing in the wet season particularly when great herds of zebra and wildebeest begin their migration to the Boteti region.

This is the time when the pans fill with water, transforming into a bird lover’s paradise with thousands of flamingos, pelicans and migratory birds while the CKGR site is famous for lions, cheetahs and diverse antelope.

The area is also renowned for its remote, wild landscape and has a fascinating range of different plants.

Kgaga advised that reducing congestion in one place could help ensure that tourism remained within sustainable, low-impact limits. Reports also indicate that too many vehicles in one place simultaneously could cause noise pollution and disturb wildlife, potentially forcing them to flee to less suitable habitats.

An operator, Phetogo Malatsi, complained of limited campsites and asked the association to request for more sites particularly in Moremi Game Reserve since.

The area, he said was big with rich ecosystem yet some sections were unoccupied.

Meanwhile, BOGA advocates for fair, equitable access to tourism opportunities for citizen-owned companies, to ensure they can compete with international operators. ENDS